Edmund White’s City Boy is the kind of book we rarely see in the United States: a literate memoir. It is an important book. And It is also a delightful book. In a conversational–frequently humorous–style, he chronicles his own life
Queer readers no doubt will be tempted to read the most tantalizing articles in Christopher Bram’s new book first and then perhaps not get around to reading the others. “Homage to Jimmy,” for example is a fascinating explanation of how
Yesterday New York University Press published an important book: When Gay People Get Married, What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-Sex Marriage. As the title suggests, this book is an in depth analysis of how societies have been changed by
Today is the birthday of Henry David Thoreau. So let us take a few moments to celebrate this great American. He was, of course the author of the classic: Walden; or Life in the Woods. What makes Walden a
Having read William Mann’s classic queer Hollywood history, Behind the Screen, Queer Reader expected his new Katharine Hepburn biography to be very good. It isn’t very good. It’s great. Mr. Mann’s Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn may just
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt met with reformers in the Oval Office, he responded to their requests with three cryptic sentences: “I agree with you. I want to do it. Now make me do it.” This possibly apocryphal quotation has become
We all know what went right on Election Day: Barack Obama was elected president. That was the good news. I was literally partying in the streets of my neighborhood (Chelsea) as the bad news came trickling in. California’s anti-gay marriage
I’ll admit I was a little nervous about this one. One of America’s great writers, Edmund White, has written a biography of one of France’s great poets–arguably the father of modern poetry–Arthur Rimbaud. Sounds intelligent. Sounds profound. Sounds…well, maybe just
We think we know them. We’ve seen Picasso’s strangely flattering portrait of Gertrude Stein (painted from memory.) And the famous Man Ray photograph of Gertrude and Alice B. Toklas–looking like the old married couple that they were. Then there is
If you haven’t read it yet, now is the time to read Armistead Maupin’s latest novel, Michael Tolliver Lives. It is arguably Mr. Maupin’s best novel and it is now available in paperback.